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Post by microworm on Sept 11, 2018 8:53:59 GMT -6
Omg I remember the fear of this too... I was off at college but Chicago was home. I remember wondering if my city was next, and trying to imagine the horror New Yorkers felt as this amazing city landmark crumbled before their eyes. Iāve never fully shaken that feeling. I was here (suburbs) and we all had this worry as well. I remember getting home from school that day and I was all alone watching the news when military planes went by and there was a sonic boom. I thought we were getting bombed.
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msdrdg
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It's 9/11
Sept 11, 2018 8:55:20 GMT -6
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Post by msdrdg on Sept 11, 2018 8:55:20 GMT -6
I was working as a delivery driver in Boston. I remember coming into work and my boss saying a plane hit the world trade center. I thought he meant the one in Boston. Then he sent me out on the road to do my delivery. My clients were freaking out, they had friends in NYC. Then I had to drive thru downtown Boston while they were evacuating the Hancock and Prudential Towers. It was so surreal. 2 of my 2nd cousin's (brothers) joined the military in response to 9/11. Scott escorted Steven's body home from Afghanistan on 8/22/10.
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It's 9/11
Sept 11, 2018 8:59:31 GMT -6
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Post by emilyinparis on Sept 11, 2018 8:59:31 GMT -6
This day never sneaks up on me. I can always feel it coming.
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Post by marygracerich on Sept 11, 2018 9:06:04 GMT -6
This day never sneaks up on me. I can always feel it coming. This is how I feel too.
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It's 9/11
Sept 11, 2018 9:08:36 GMT -6
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Post by Deleted on Sept 11, 2018 9:08:36 GMT -6
I was homeschooled so I was home. I remember watching the second plane hit and my mom bursting into tears. The comment about the jumpers hit me hard. I remember asking my mom and she explained why it was better to jump. The sounds of them hitting below is something that I can still hear. I just can't even imagine how they felt.
I just remember the smallest details about that day. I think on some level it is healthy to let the emotion of the day hit is hard every year. It's part of never forgetting.
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jlaur21
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Post by jlaur21 on Sept 11, 2018 9:09:04 GMT -6
I live near-ish to the Pentagon. My dad works there. He wasnāt there that day because he was on terminal leave as he was retiring from the Marine Corps. The weeks after weāre scary for us because there was a possibility he wouldnāt be allowed to retire. Luckily, he was allowed to but Iāll be honest when I say him still working in the Pentagon makes me nervous. And my husband is a volunteer firefighter. I went to the 9/11 Museum a few weeks ago and seeing/hearing the firefightersā stories really hit me. Those men and women were so brave. I truly cannot imagine running into a building thatās just been struck by a plane, running up so many fights of stairs, and likely knowing that you wouldnāt be coming out. I would highly recommend the Museum in NY, the Pentagon Memorial in Arlington, and the Flight 93 Memorial in Shanksville to anyone and everyone. Theyāre all so different from each other and all so well done. Every victim of that day deserves remembrance. Lurker here, but agreed that the museum is definitely a place to visit. Iāve been twice in the last 8 months and it is well done for what it has to be. Iām feeling a lot of feels today. I vividly remember the day 17 years ago. Today my fiancĆ© is working in World Trade 3 - as he does every day now. Itās extremely emotional for me and Iām trying to keep it together. He said itās very quiet there today. His office overlooks the memorials. Thanks for letting me post my thoughts.
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starbuck
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Post by starbuck on Sept 11, 2018 9:14:42 GMT -6
I feel like I walk around every year on 9/11 wondering why the hell things haven't stopped for the day - why we are in meetings and at appointments like it's just another day.
I was in HS and we watched it live. We stopped everything that day. We continued to change classes at the bell, but always sat down and just watched the news. I got home and watched. For days, everything became about watching the coverage, figuring this out, learning the stories. So for 9/11 to be a day of routine is confusing. I make a point to read something, watch something, to take a few moments to remember. But the rest of the day feels almost too normal. MH can hardly watch or read anything, it's almost too much for him, but he tries because he feels it is important.
At the same time, I recognize that part of overcoming the events of that day is to keep moving - to not let them win by intimidating us out of our lives, right? So the day of 9/11 is deeply confusing and troubling and tragic in ways that I'm not sure I've yet come to terms with.
And when I look at the clock, all year round, and it's 9:11, I immediately think about that day. It's involuntary. So like a few times a week for the past 17 years I have been reminded. I can't get away from it. I don't really try to.
I don't know how I'm going to explain this to my kids one day in a way that fully captures the impact that day had on an entire generation.
I'm rambling, but I really don't know how to express myself on this. I feel like I should have the words by now, but I don't.
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It's 9/11
Sept 11, 2018 9:22:34 GMT -6
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Post by mom2twoboys on Sept 11, 2018 9:22:34 GMT -6
I just listened to Kevin Cosgroveās 911 tape and oh my god it is so heart wrenching. š¢
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hawkward
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Post by hawkward on Sept 11, 2018 9:24:53 GMT -6
This is always a hard day. I think about so many little choices made in haste that day that have determined the course our lives have taken since. We're remembering too many friends today, most of whom were lost not to actual combat, but to the lasting effects of PTSD.
DS1 is just starting to understand what H's job actually *means*, and I feel like a liar when I tell him those scary things could never happen here because we saw how easily they could.
Yesterday the joint bases here sent out many of our planes and ships to safety, and it was incredibly hard for those who remember the start of the war and seeing the planes and ships leaving en masse for a very different reason.
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auburn
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Post by auburn on Sept 11, 2018 9:36:59 GMT -6
I lived in Atlanta and my boyfriend at the time worked in NYC. We were all sent home from work and all I did was worry. He rode the train every morning and walked right by the Trade Towers. I remember panicking as I called and called him and he didnāt answer.
I finally heard from him that evening. He had exited the station, seen the smoke, and they all went right back down. He had to walk across the bridge to get home. He was exhausted and stunned and I will never forget that day.
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It's 9/11
Sept 11, 2018 9:41:43 GMT -6
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Post by emilyinparis on Sept 11, 2018 9:41:43 GMT -6
I remember one day post 9/11, I was living in NJ at the time, and I was driving on route 80 to work in the morning. Suddenly I was aware that on the other side of the highway going in the opposite direction, were about a dozen or more (tractor trailers, semis?) trucks carrying very large pieces of metal. There were American flags covering the metal and they were being escorted by police. At first I didn't know what it was but then it hit me that they were pieces of the WTC. I'm pretty sure I broke down crying. It was later confirmed in the news that that's what it was.
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Post by cakewench on Sept 11, 2018 10:06:06 GMT -6
I was a junior at GW, living a few blocks up the street from the State Department. I had class that morning, and turned on the TV right after the first plane hit. I distinctly remember chastising myself for immediately thinking it was terror-related right before watching the second plane crash. And then like a moron I went to class. "The American Presidency." My professor came in and said "I know something is happening in New York, I'm sure it's nothing, let's get started." (or something to that effect).
When I got out of class, there were people in suits everywhere. That's when I learned about the Pentagon and booked it back to my dorm. Apparently my dad was the only one who got through to my room, so he took the numbers of my roommate's parents and called all of them to let them know we were OK. He was pretty scared I was the only one not there. I also remember him telling me if it looks like DC is going to be a target, to run for the metro and hide in a tunnel.
I remember feeling sick every time I heard sirens for weeks afterward.
(PDQ) @darlene - my dad works at a nuclear plant, and we were all terrified for him since they (general nuclear plant "they") were put on alert as possible secondary targets. I'm not sure if he was telling the truth or was just trying to make us feel better, but he said with all the extra security, he felt safer there than he did at home.
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Post by northernlghts on Sept 11, 2018 10:10:23 GMT -6
One of my high school classmates was in NYC on Sept 11th and she wrote a beautiful post about it for the 15 year anniversary. I hate to say I love reading it, but it's a beautiful and moving piece about being 18, away from home for the first time, and in NYC on that day.
I had a former co-worker at a place I used to work at who was actually in one of the towers.
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It's 9/11
Sept 11, 2018 10:11:55 GMT -6
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Post by lifesaverz on Sept 11, 2018 10:11:55 GMT -6
I think this is the first time Iāve realized my kids (2 & 4 years) have no idea what this day is or was. That feels so weird to realize.
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It's 9/11
Sept 11, 2018 10:35:28 GMT -6
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Post by enchanted on Sept 11, 2018 10:35:28 GMT -6
Last year, students in my class found news footage of the day on YouTube. They were fascinated by the jumpers in that morbid way that 12 year olds get and it took every ounce of my will power not to lose my freaking mind. Aside from watching friends trying to reach their families, seeing the people jumping before the towers fell is what is seared into my mind the most. It broke my heart. I also remember how weird it was a week later the first time a plane flew overhead again.
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twopeas
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It's 9/11
Sept 11, 2018 10:42:35 GMT -6
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Post by twopeas on Sept 11, 2018 10:42:35 GMT -6
I think this is the first time Iāve realized my kids (2 & 4 years) have no idea what this day is or was. That feels so weird to realize. This was me last night. I told H that it seems so strange that Sept 11th will always just be another day to our 2 yo, whereas it always feels so heavy & somber to us. It is definitely a weird thought.
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allisong
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Post by allisong on Sept 11, 2018 10:43:31 GMT -6
I just broke down in my car thinking about how this day was that defining moment in my life where as a teenager I realized there are evil people out there who want to harm you. I was never the same since. I never want my boys to lose their innocence. š
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twopeas
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It's 9/11
Sept 11, 2018 10:48:33 GMT -6
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Post by twopeas on Sept 11, 2018 10:48:33 GMT -6
I was a junior in HS and living on the west coast. I used to sleep with my tv on mute, just for some light in my room. I remember waking up to get ready for school and saw the live images of the 1st tower on fire on the news. Since it was muted, I remember thinking what a scary freak accident this was! I was on my way to school, listening to the radio when the 2nd plane hit. I remember the emotion in the dj's voice. We watched tv all day in school, despite the principal repeating to turn tv's off. God, it is all so vivid still.
Definitely remembering and thinking of all the victims, first reponders & military today.
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allisong
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Post by allisong on Sept 11, 2018 10:49:03 GMT -6
Remember how united we all were in the days, weeks, months afterwards?? Wtf happened? Why canāt we get back to that? Why does it take a tragedy of that magnitude to bring us together? I donāt understand.
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Post by radiantfate on Sept 11, 2018 10:49:26 GMT -6
I was just thinking about the kids born into a post 9-11 world today. DH's godson was born just a couple weeks after 9/11 and is a junior in HS now. How different their world must be than the one we grew up in.
I was 21 on 9/11/01 and I remember I had just quit a job and was driving to a new "job" (turned out to be a scam operation, oh my naivety at 21) and heard about the first plane on the way in. Driving around later that morning I heard when the second plane hit. I left the scam job that afternoon and never went back. Just watched the news and cried. My ex-husband (then boyfriend) was living an hour outside of NYC at the time and it was before the days of quick internet and cell phones. I think I was still on dial up? It took me forever to get through to him. I had several friends in NYC for college too and called them and called them and called them. They were all safe. I also remember we were worried here in Central FL because Disney and the other theme parks could be another target.
My sister (who was 18 at the time) enlisted in the Army reserves and went to Iraq a year later. She came home safe, thank god, and her enlistment has ended
My DD doesn't know a whole lot about 9/11. I don't know that they've discussed it much in school. She's in 5th grade. I know she knows generally about the day and that some planes flew into buildings but not the true horror of it. I imagine they'll cover it at some point in school though.
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It's 9/11
Sept 11, 2018 10:51:24 GMT -6
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Post by allthedrinks on Sept 11, 2018 10:51:24 GMT -6
This is always a hard day. I think about so many little choices made in haste that day that have determined the course our lives have taken since. We're remembering too many friends today, most of whom were lost not to actual combat, but to the lasting effects of PTSD. DS1 is just starting to understand what H's job actually *means*, and I feel like a liar when I tell him those scary things could never happen here because we saw how easily they could. Yesterday the joint bases here sent out many of our planes and ships to safety, and it was incredibly hard for those who remember the start of the war and seeing the planes and ships leaving en masse for a very different reason. And now Iām bawling again. My husband served half of his career in the reserves pre 9/11 and half active post 9/11. Today is a hard day as we think about all of our loved ones who serve today.
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allisong
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Post by allisong on Sept 11, 2018 11:00:17 GMT -6
Just drove past this and started crying again... hard to see but a flag for every person who lost their life.
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bobyn
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Post by bobyn on Sept 11, 2018 11:13:33 GMT -6
God, it was such an insane time. There are only a few of those moments in US history we can point to as itās happening and know the world just completely changed. To be 17 years old and a witness to it, I think the implications somehow went way over my head and smacked me in the face all at once. I was thinking the other day, 95% of kids in school right now weāre born into a post 9/11 world, which is hard to wrap my head around. When we were in NYC, we took B to the 9/11 Memorial and I cried trying to tell him why we were visiting and the significance of it all. I know he's only 6, but he'd never heard of it and probably won't cover it in school for many more years.
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kmkd
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Post by kmkd on Sept 11, 2018 11:18:22 GMT -6
I really struggle on this day so I honestly try to avoid social media, the news, etc. I just want to send out hugs and support to anyone else who has a hard time getting through today.
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Post by charlotte on Sept 11, 2018 11:28:04 GMT -6
I just broke down in my car thinking about how this day was that defining moment in my life where as a teenager I realized there are evil people out there who want to harm you. I was never the same since. I never want my boys to lose their innocence. š I was thinking about this earlier. I was in junior high living in the midwestern suburbs. I didnāt even know what the WTC or terrorism were. It took me a bit at the time to wrap my mind around what āhijacking an airplaneā really meant. So innocent.. but before long Osama Bin Laden and al-Qaeda were terms I was very familiar with.
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stringy
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Post by stringy on Sept 11, 2018 11:37:27 GMT -6
I was in college in central PA - and I remember feeling so thankful that we were safe, in the middle of nowhere. Until the plane crashed in central PA.
I remember not being able to find my uncle, or my girlfriends father, both who got trapped downtown and had to walk across the bridge somewhere until they could get in touch.
My SIL, who was not my SIL at the time, lost her boyfriend. I was just thinking of her and realizing that she may not be my SIL and I may not have my nieces had this not happened. Which is just a confusing feeling.
I also know that there was a young child in my kids' daycare whose mother was a flight attendant on one of the flights. I just can't breathe when I think of that child that day - though I don't know any more details about it.
My kids know nothing of this event (5 and 2) but I realized today that my 5 yo could hear something at school, and I don't want her to lose that innocence.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 11, 2018 11:41:35 GMT -6
I teach 9/11 to my junior US History students every year. I start the class by telling them how hard it is for me, and how emotional it makes me to teach about it, but how I feel it is so important for me to talk about it,not bury it, and to share the feelings I had on that day. The feeling of not knowing if the entire country was under attack. The feeling of running into a friend who was in the national guard and was terrified of what he would be asked to do. The feeling of a couple of days later on my birthday learning that I knew a girl on one of the planes.
I show a film.
It never feels like enough.
15 years ago when I started teaching my students had all just lived through it and we could use the day to process it together. Now it's like my parents telling me about the day JFK was assassinated. I just wish I could do it "right."
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redbears
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Post by redbears on Sept 11, 2018 12:02:04 GMT -6
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jbm
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Post by jbm on Sept 11, 2018 12:11:13 GMT -6
I was in college, a junior. I was asleep, didnāt have class until later in the day and my roommate came running into my room, screaming that we were being bombed. We watched tv all day in our pajamas, freaking out.
I tried so hard to get in touch with my parents, I was in PA, they were living in AZ. My dad was in the Army, and was actually taking command that day. The ceremony was scheduled for 8am AZ time, so the planes had already hit. He did a 2 minute speech and was taken to a secure location, since he was in military intelligence. I finally got ahold of my mom, but I was so scared. My dad did ultimately deploy to Kuwait/Iraq and was there for a year at the very beginning of everything.
I work for the Department of Homeland Security. 9/11 has defined my whole career. In 2003, when I started, we had such a clear mission. We were trying to help people, protect people. Itās such a mess now, and it really hits home today.
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Post by CurlieWhirlie on Sept 11, 2018 12:14:13 GMT -6
I was here in California on 9/11, getting ready to go back to college for my junior year. I remember waking up at my parents' house and the first tower had already fallen, and watching the news as the second plane hit. My dad was a firefighter in SF and I remember feeling so emotional about all the firefighters risking their lives to save people.
I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when the Loma Prieta earthquake hit in 89, but I don't feel emotional about it the same way because I was only 9, and the full impact of the event didn't really hit me. Thinking about 9/11, even 17 years later, still brings tears to my eyes. Just the awful horror of it. Because I was 21 and I could understand.
I don't think DS1 knows anything about this yet. He's in 4th. It's weird to think that this will be something he learns about in school, the same way I learned about the assassination of JFK.
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